City celebrate Steve Castle's winner
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Steve Castle needed just eleven minutes at Kingsmeadow on Saturday to turn the jeers to cheers as the St Albans City manager scored a glorious goal to not only give the Saints their first win in six matches but also lift the side out of the Premier Division bottom four and up to their highest Ryman League position, 19th, since the turn of the year.
Castle’s superbly driven strike, his first goal since December 2002, was the perfect riposte after a section of the travelling support greeted his 71st minute introduction with less than wholesome glee. The managers late winning goal was just reward for a positive display by the Saints against a disappointing Kingstonian side for whom only Liam Collins and the experienced pocket dynamo, Scott Steele, shone.
However, as poor as they may have been, Kingstonian started the better of the sides as they sought to end two months without a home match in style. Once into the game, though, City appeared surprisingly confident with Steve Watts leading the attack with panache and a touch of arrogance. But three times a bumpy pitch thwarted the Saints as awkward bounces caused Gary Wraight, Greg Deacon and Lee Clarke to slice efforts well wide.
Either side of an easily saved snapshot from Watts, Chris Seeby came to the fore; firstly when his header from a Graeme Butler corner caused consternation in a crowded goalmouth and then, secondly, he put in an excellent block as the talented Steele attempted to turn in Stafford Browne’s knock down.
But it was only after the interval that a game which had threatened to entertain really took off and produced three excellent goals. The first came on 49 minutes when Clark broke up an attempted Kingstonian counterattack by retrieving the ball from well outside his penalty area. His long angled clearance was well won in the air by Wraight and seized upon by Deacon whose delightful chipped ball to the edge of the penalty area was expertly brought down by Watts, after pushing it past one defender Watts drilled a precise shot into the goal via the foot of Lance Key’s right hand post.
That setback inspired Kingstonian to their best spell of the match, on 52 minutes Clark saved a point-blank header from Collins following a Steele cross but four minutes later Dave Timothy, on just seconds earlier for the tiring Steele, latched onto a long ball over the Saints defence by Collins and as Clark hesitated scored with his first touch, a well executed lob over the keeper.
On the hour Clark dived to his right to smother a low effort from Bashiru Alimi and the keeper then did well to divert a Collins effort out for a corner after the Ks midfielder had ridden two lunges. Thereafter City regained the upper hand and searched for a much needed second goal. Watts, stretching for a Butler corner, headed over before a volleyed pass by Deacon to Watts ended with the ball rolling wide to Dave Sargent whose crisp cross was sliced just over his own bar by Stuart Booth.
Moments later City enjoyed a crucial piece of good fortune when Mark Beard burst into the penalty area and saw his well struck shot thud into Clark’s left upright before being put out for a corner. Four minutes later, the 70th, Key tipped over an over-hit but goalbound Wraight free kick.
The lively Watts squandered a good chance when failing to make a good contact with a Butler corner and then had a confident penalty appeal rejected when he appeared to be hauled down by Booth. Undeterred, City returned to the offensive and on 82 minutes clinched their second successive win at Kingsmeadow.
From a free kick won by Watts some 28 yards out, Castle unleashed a superb shot that struck the underside of the bar and hit the sprawling Key on the back. Kingstonian scrambled the ball wide to their left hand touchline but City immediately regained possession and slipped the ball square to Castle who, from 20 yards out, arrowed a left-footed blockbuster high to Key’s left for a majestic and decisive goal.
Report by Dave Tavener |